Wednesday, January 22, 2014

In Memory: Ned Vizzini

Ned Vizzini, 32, Dies; Wrote Teenage Novels by Ned Yardley from The New York Times (Dec. 20, 2013). Peek: "Ned Vizzini, a precocious and highly praised writer of popular young-adult novels that often dealt with themes of teenage anxiety and depression — and still made readers laugh — died on Thursday in Brooklyn."

Ned Vizzini dies at 32; author wrote openly about his depression by David Colker and Carolyn Kellogg from The LA Times. Peek: "'Everybody thinks that after you make it as an author, you're set for life,' he said in a 2006 interview with the Richmond (Va.) Times Dispatch. 'But I had plenty of concerns about what I was going to do with the rest of my life. And there's always pressure to do the next thing and to always be better.'"

Ned Vizzini dies at 32: Fans mourn It's Kind of a Funny Story writer by Eun Kyung Kim from Today. Peek: "'Ned was a preternatural talent — a brilliant, insightful writer and a dazzling storyteller who was one of the leading pioneers of YA literature as we know it,' Alessandra Balzer, co-publisher of HarperCollins' Balzer + Bray, said in a statement."

"'What I would like young adults to take away from It’s Kind of a Funny Story is that if you’re feeling suicidal, call a hotline,' Vizzini said in an interview with Strength of Us, an online community developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, after the film version of Funny Story was released. 'Suicidal ideation really is a medical emergency and if more people knew to call the suicide hotline we’d have less suicides. One number, as related in the book, is 1-800-SUICIDE.'”

Note to Readers

My sympathies to Ned's family, friends, and colleagues.

If you would like to share links to other memorial posts, please do so in the comments. The roundup above features mainstream media, but I'm sure there are more personal reflections on the Web.

Cynsational Interns

Robin Galbraith holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Kate Pentecost holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the YA author of Elysium Girls (Hyperion, winter 2020). Kate is represented by Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties.